


Rewired

by Hyliian



Series: Adrift [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Bucky Barnes, Brainwashing, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Bucky Barnes-centric, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Dehumanization, Gen, Nagini is Adorable, Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Original Character Death(s), Runes are Still Overpowered, Sorry Not Sorry, Time Travel, Violence, Voldemort is Paranoid, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 04:48:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7208333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyliian/pseuds/Hyliian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lord Slytherin had been acting erratic and increasingly illogical for the past few weeks. He had not given the Asset a single command in nine days, twenty-one hours, seventeen minutes and four seconds. According to protocol, Lord Slytherin was no longer its Primary Handler. </p><p>The Asset wondered if Lord Slytherin was aware of this.</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Sequel to Recalibration.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Rewired

**Author's Note:**

> _:This is parseltongue.:_

Severus wasn’t entirely sure what to make of his Lord’s new pet. And, despite what the general masses might think of him and his fellow Death Eaters, he did not ordinarily consider human beings ‘pets’ no matter the circumstances.

That resolution hadn’t lasted very long.

The Soldier—as his Lord had commanded they call him—was the single most intimidating person Severus had ever met. And that included his Lord. His Lord might torture you to death, or execute you in a fit of spite, but at least he’d feel something about it—joy or pleasure or what have you.

The Soldier felt nothing.

It was as if his Lord had created him out of nothing, built a creature of metal and black magic and wrapped the flesh of a walking corpse around its shell. The Soldier was a monster, but not in the way of vampires or werewolves or things that lurk in the dark. The Soldier was a monster because he _looked_ human enough, had human teeth and spoke various human languages, but there was not a single shred of humanity in him.

Severus had made the mistake of attempting legilimency on the Soldier, once. Once was all it took. Before the Null-Ward inscribed on the Soldier’s metal arm—and hadn’t _that_ thrown the purebloods into a frenzy; the muggles had the technology to do _that_ to a man? When had that happened?—had clamped down on the spell and evicted him, Severus had had open access to the man’s mind.

The Soldier’s mind was a nightmare. A broken, cracked sheet of ice overlaid an endless abyss of ichor and tar—spires of twisted steel and metal jutted out of the ice like pillars holding up the sky, covered in razors and blades that bristled outwards like knives—blood covered everything like rust, flaking, dry, freshly spilled, the sharp copper stench of it was entrenched there like bone under skin—great arcs of electricity bounced between the spires, white-hot and humming, forking off like tongues of flame in the eerie absence of sound—the silence of it was thick, heavy, cloying like ash in your lungs—the cold frosted your skin and turned lips and fingers blue, ice hanging from lashes and grinding bones into joints as lungs rattled and your heart stuttered—

—and beneath everything, under the ice and bloodied steel, buried under innumerable leagues of shadow and agony, was a light; the size of the sun in the sky and just as intense, it burned like a solar flare. Chained down beneath metal and electricity and the ever-present chill of hoarfrost was a single glimpse of life, of humanity; it was the only thing about this mindscape that was even remotely human.

It had lasted half a second. Less than a single heartbeat.

Severus would never forget a single detail for the rest of his natural life.

He knew enough about the mind arts to know that nothing in the Soldier’s head was natural. All of it was implanted, conditioned, _rewired_ into his brain as if he were the machine he outwardly seemed to be. Except for that light, buried deep under the horror of his conscious mind. 

Severus remembered that tiny ball of light anytime he met the Soldier’s dead, arctic eyes. 

Sometimes he liked to think he could hear the man screaming under all that ice.

\----

The first time he saw the Soldier kill someone was during a meeting. The Soldier was standing slightly behind and to the left of his Lord’s throne, a muggle rifle of some kind slung over his back and smaller versions resting on each hip. Severus didn’t doubt that there were numerous other weapons he could not see hiding beneath all that black leather and gear. 

When his Lord had first introduced the Soldier to them, Severus had wondered where his Lord had found those weapons the man was using, and why he felt confident with the Soldier wielding them in his blind spot. That was before Severus had realized how ridiculous the concept of betrayal must be to the Soldier, to a creature whose very bones were wired for loyalty to his master. 

Severus knew the purebloods in the crowd felt nothing but contempt for the Soldier and his muggle armory. They hadn’t been raised in that world, hadn’t seen the stories on the telly about the muggles and their wars, didn’t know how very lethal those weapons could be in the right hands.

The Soldier’s hands might not be right, but they were _very_ lethal.

His Lord had located an Order spy in the ranks, a squirming young man who blubbered and pleaded for his life on his knees in front of his Lord. Severus thought the young man was doubly an idiot: once for being stupid enough to spy on his Lord, and twice for thinking his Lord knew anything at all about mercy.

“You do not wish me to kill you?” his Lord asked kindly, gently, face open and sympathetic. Severus knew his Lord’s voice was his most dangerous weapon. “You ask Lord Voldemort for mercy?” Severus was likely the only one who saw the flick of eyes from the Soldier to his Lord at that question, even if he didn’t understand the reason for it. His Lord smiled at the renewed pleading and turned his head slightly, angled back towards the Soldier lurking in the shadow behind the throne. “Show him what Lord Voldemort thinks of mercy.”

_BANG_.

The entire crowd lurched back in shock as the back of the man’s head exploded outwards, splattering the gathered Death Eaters with bone and gore. The body crumpled immediately like a marionette with its strings cut. Severus felt his pulse racing even as the purebloods fell into a panic, unsure what had happened and if they would be next. 

After all, they’d never seen a muggle gun. They didn’t know one didn’t need to shout out a spell to use one, or that a single bullet could pulverize a man’s head like that.

Severus had been watching the Soldier, and he still hadn’t seen him pull the weapon. It had simply materialized in his hand, already having fired a single, deadly shot at the target of his Lord’s ire. There hadn’t been so much as a millisecond of hesitation. His Lord said an order, and the Soldier obeyed it. No split-second hesitation at the thought of taking a life, no second-guessing as to what his Lord had wanted. Simply obedience.

It chilled Severus to the bone.

“Good dog,” came his Lord’s voice, cutting through the panicking purebloods like a sharp knife. It was a fond, warm sort of voice, the kind you didn’t ever hear from his Lord unless you were about to die. The Soldier did not react, simply stepped back into the shadow and faded almost out of sight, only the slick gleam of his metal arm giving him away.

His Lord looked out over his Death Eaters, watching as they pulled themselves together in nervous huddles and groups. “Does anyone have any objections to my dog’s presence?” This was asked mockingly, poking at the way the purebloods had complained and sneered at the Soldier for the past week. No one dared breathe a word. His Lord smiled then, wide and beautiful, and Severus ached just by looking at it. 

He turned his head slightly towards the Soldier again. “You have my permission to bite back if any of these idiots take further offence.”

“Command: acknowledged,” came the cold, gravelly voice of the Soldier.

Severus had the feeling a great many purebloods would wind up with bullets in their heads before the reality of that particular command registered properly. 

\----

The first time any of them realized how truly dangerous the Soldier was to wizards was about a week later. Until that time, most of them had rationalized his presence as a muggle war veteran under Imperius, compelled—ironically—to protect their Lord for his amusement. It was the sort of thing their Lord would find humorous, and would explain why a muggle would obey all of their Lord’s commands so unthinkingly.

They had been at another meeting, this time discussing the plans in the works for the Ministry. Severus had been keeping his eyes on the Soldier, slightly startled to find him playing post for his Lord’s serpent, Nagini. The huge snake was wrapped around the Soldier’s broad shoulders and his flesh arm, and every once in a while the man would shift subtly, testing his range of motion, and the snake would shift accordingly so that it didn’t impede him any. 

Nagini rarely accompanied their Lord to meetings. She was too highly valued by their Lord to risk being killed by a spy or defector hoping for power. Severus wasn’t sure why their Lord had entrusted her to a muggle, no matter how fast he was with a gun. He also wasn’t sure he would have had the stomach to let such a massive snake lounge on him like that, and would have envied the Soldier’s iron control of himself if he hadn’t seen into the man’s head and witnessed the wasteland resting there. 

The attack came without warning. One moment they were discussing Abraxas’s placement in the Wizengamot, and the next spells were flying towards the stage as several double-agents revealed themselves. Several were killing curses aimed at his Lord, who conjured a thick steel wall around himself to block them, but there was a handful of cutting curses and stunners aimed at the Soldier and their Lord’s familiar wrapped around his neck.

The Soldier reacted even faster than their Lord had, shifting sideways and lifting the metal arm up to shoulder height, effectively placing it directly in the path of anything that would hit the tense snake holding onto him. A cutting curse struck the metal and washed over it like water, and a stunner hit his torso and dissipated as if it had hit a wall instead of a living body. Previously invisible bands of runes lit up around the Soldier’s arm, glowing first the sharp blue of the cutting curse and then the bright red of the stunner.

It was then that Severus, and the others who had noticed, realized exactly what their Lord had guarding his back.

The Soldier shoved off the stage and into the crowd, trench knives appearing almost as if out of thin air into each hand, Nagini rearing up from around his shoulders to bare venomous fangs and hiss threateningly. They moved in eerie synchronization, the Soldier flitting in and out of sight faster than the human eye could conceivably track, knives digging through throats and disemboweling those who got too close, unerringly targeting the ones who’d shot curses at the stage. Nagini struck with him, like a third arm, lashing out at those out of the Soldier’s range and tearing out throats and sinking fangs into shoulders and torsos, leaving men convulsing on the ground as they died in agony.

When the sounds of battle faded, the Soldier reappeared in the center of the crowd, knives bloody but otherwise utterly pristine. Nagini’s snout was coated in blood but there wasn’t so much as a scratch on any of her scales. The wall around their Lord fell when the battle ended, and burning red eyes latched immediately on the Soldier and his familiar, standing bloody and victorious amidst the corpses of their enemies.

A sliver of nigh-invisible tension left his Lord’s shoulders as he called out to his familiar in the eerie tones of parseltongue. Nagini hissed back, swaying from her perch on the Soldier’s shoulders, and a pleased smile flitted across his Lord’s face in response. 

“Tell me, Soldier,” his Lord began, striding down from the dais as the crowd parted for him until he stood before the emotionless statue which had revealed itself to be _immune to magic_ , “why you went to such lengths to protect my precious Nagini?”

“Primary Mission: Defense of Handler. Secondary Mission: Defense of Handler’s assets. _Designation: Nagini_ is an asset of the Handler.” The response was rote, mechanical, and utterly chilling in its emptiness. This was a man who had just torn through a dozen men in less than thirty seconds, while protecting a snake wrapped around his shoulders, without either of them earning a single scuff mark. 

Their Lord reached out an arm and transferred Nagini to his own shoulders, who began to hiss to him again. Their Lord listened for a moment, before lifting a hand to the Soldier and running his fingers through his hair. The Soldier did not react in any visible way. “Good dog,” their Lord praised, baring his teeth in a smile the Death Eaters rarely saw from him outside of torture or punishment. 

Severus slid backwards into the crowd, letting the purebloods’ confused mumbling wash over him. The Soldier had a Null-Ward inscribed on his metal arm. Being a muggle, this meant he was functionally immune to all magic and all magical items outside of the Unforgivables. There was a reason certified Rune Masters took oaths not to let their work fall into the hands of the muggles, and this was it. 

A single muggle trained in war like this one was, who moved with the speed of an Elder vampire and with the reflexes of an angry nundu, with a Ward that prevented magic from working on him and made obliviates useless… it was every Ministry’s worst nightmare.

And their Lord was using him as a guard dog.

Severus wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

====

The Asset remained motionless behind Lord Slytherin as he spoke to his lesser assets. Lord Slytherin’s secondary asset, _Designation: Nagini_ , was wrapped securely around its shoulders and flesh arm as had become customary. It was the most defensible position for _Designation: Nagini_ outside of Lord Slytherin’s own person, and the Asset could understand why Lord Slytherin had placed it there. 

_Designation: Nagini_ did not speak a recognizable language, but it understood English and could therefore be communicated with if necessary. _Designation: Nagini_ was far more intelligent than most of Lord Slytherin’s lesser assets, and had flicked its tongue at the Asset’s cheek when it had said as much to it.

Lord Slytherin did not have many orders for the Asset, being focused on undercover work at the Ministry—which the Asset could not conceivably contribute to in any meaningful way. Instead, the Asset occupied itself with _Designation: Nagini_ and by devising ways with which it could work with _Designation: Nagini_ in further combat situations.

The Asset kept an eye on the crowd of lesser assets through its protective eyewear, listening to subvocal cues and ready to react should more of the lesser assets prove traitorous towards Lord Slytherin.

_Designation: Nagini_ tightened its hold slightly, and the Asset swung its focus towards the direction the serpent’s head was pointing. _Designation: Nagini_ did not have the same skillset as the Asset, nor were its senses as sharp, but _Designation: Nagini_ could feel intentions and vibrations in ways the Asset could not. They were well matched. 

A mousy young man was huddled near the edge of the crowd, cowering and sniveling. The Asset briefly considered that _Designation: Nagini_ had singled him out because of his rat-like behavior, before discarding it. _Designation: Nagini_ was above such bestial reactions. The Asset kept its attention on the man, wary and waiting for him to display treacherous behavior as had been indicated was possible by _Designation: Nagini_.

After a time, _Designation: Nagini_ ’s focus swayed away from the mouse-man, and the Asset let its own attention stray as well. The treacherous thoughts had passed. 

The Asset did not react when the doors to the chamber swung inward and a lesser asset stumbled through them, drawing undue attention to himself in the process. 

“My Lord,” gasped the lesser asset, one the Asset recognized as the one which had triggered the Null-Ward’s lockdown on mind magic. The Asset had not reacted after the attempt, because the man had been instrumental in teaching the Null-Ward to protect against its mind being read. Ever since, it had realized that Lord Slytherin could not predict its body language as effectively and theorized that the lesser asset’s crude mind reading had alerted the Ward where Lord Slytherin’s had not. “I have urgent news.”

“Everyone out,” Lord Slytherin snapped. Only the preexisting order to remain with Lord Slytherin as long as _Designation: Nagini_ was in physical contact with it kept the Asset from leaving as well. “Speak, Severus.”

_Reassigned: lesser asset Severus_.

Lesser asset Severus glanced at the Asset for a moment before turning back towards Lord Slytherin. “I overheard part of a prophecy pertaining to you, my Lord. I came as soon as I was able.”

Lord Slytherin glanced at the Asset consideringly. It wondered if Lord Slytherin were debating sending the Asset from the room. It would not be surprised if Lord Slytherin were to do so; its previous handlers had often not allowed the Asset to overhear sensitive information. 

“Take Nagini to my rooms and wait there for me,” Lord Slytherin ordered. The Asset turned on its heel and left without comment, doing as ordered. It knew Lord Slytherin appreciated such prompt obedience, and despaired at the hesitation displayed by the lesser assets.

The Asset could feel the Null-Ward heating slightly as it passed through the wards around Lord Slytherin’s chambers. The Asset was not ‘keyed’ into the wards, but the runes on the Arm prevented them from acting against it regardless. This had both troubled and amused Lord Slytherin when it was discovered.

The Asset stepped into Lord Slytherin’s rooms and held out the flesh arm towards the armchair. _Designation: Nagini_ tightened its hold and disdained from removing itself. Unconcerned, the Asset settled straight-backed by the fireplace so _Designation: Nagini_ could take advantage of the heat without having to move.

_Designation: Nagini_ hissed something, and the Asset again felt that it would be beneficial to be capable of understanding its speech.

“Hypothesis: it would be beneficial to understand _Designation: Nagini_ ’s primary language,” the Asset said to the snake. It turned its head to him and flicked its tongue consideringly. “Commands cannot be properly interpreted or followed while the Asset lacks comprehension.”

_Designation: Nagini_ mulled this over for a few moments. It pointed its head towards the chair and hissed once, sharply, followed by a minute spit of sound. The Asset recalibrated and memorized that particular sound and its meaning. At its nod, _Designation: Nagini_ moved on to another piece of furniture and made a long hiss followed by two short hisses. 

This continued for half an hour, whereupon the Asset had memorized the meaning of everything present in the room and could adequately locate what _Designation: Nagini_ referred to when it tested him. 

“Query: the sounds associated with the term _Danger_ ,” the Asset asked. _Designation: Nagini_ responded by two sharp spitting noises that sounded vaguely threatening. The Asset memorized the sound and its corresponding definition. 

The Asset went through a list of important sayings and phrases that would allow _Designation: Nagini_ to better communicate threats and dangers to the Asset. Then, because it did not believe in being underprepared for circumstances outside of its control, the Asset went through several common words and idioms until it was reasonably fluent in _Designation: Nagini_ ’s primary language.

The Asset nodded gravely once the impromptu lesson was concluded, and _Designation: Nagini_ nodded back. They understood each other.

\----

The Asset did not alert Lord Slytherin that it could now understand _Designation: Nagini_ ’s primary language, and _Designation: Nagini_ did likewise. Both understood that it was not important information, and that the lessons had been strictly so they could better protect Lord Slytherin if necessary. They were united in purpose, if not in deed.

Lord Slytherin was increasingly absent after lesser asset Severus’s report, leaving _Designation: Nagini_ in the Asset’s care almost constantly. This displeased _Designation: Nagini_ , and it complained to the Asset about being set aside where it couldn’t protect Lord Slytherin adequately.

_:Nagini cannot protect if it is not there,:_ _Designation: Nagini_ told the Asset in a sharp hiss as they lurked in Lord Slytherin’s library. _:It is foolish for Master to leave his sword and his shield behind.:_

The Asset nodded in agreement. Lord Slytherin was not acting logically, but it was not the Asset’s place to tell him this. “It is illogical,” the Asset informed the serpent, who spat an acknowledgement. The serpent was a fellow asset, and the Asset felt comfortable interacting with it outside routine communication parameters.

They had gone through several dictionaries and encyclopedias to even out the Asset’s understanding of _Designation: Nagini_ ’s primary language, and could now hold fluent conversations, if in separate languages. The Asset could not speak _Designation: Nagini_ ’s language, but it could understand it. _Designation: Nagini_ could not speak English, but it could understand it. In this way they communicated efficiently.

_:Will the Soldier read to Nagini?:_ the snake asked after a long moment, sounding unusually small. The Asset nodded and selected a book from the shelf, understanding that _Designation: Nagini_ was a living creature—unlike the Asset—and felt emotions the Asset was unable to. It hypothesized that _Designation: Nagini_ was upset that Lord Slytherin had seemingly forgotten it and refused to let it serve its purpose in protecting him.

The Asset concluded that comforting _Designation: Nagini_ was logical, as it needed the serpent to be functional should action be necessary.

\----

_:Master forgot Nagini again.:_

The Asset glanced down to where _Designation: Nagini_ was sluggishly curling up around its leg. It bent to lift the snake and settle it around its shoulders in its preferred resting place, and _Designation: Nagini_ squeezed it in thanks. 

The Asset was not surprised. Lord Slytherin had been acting erratic and increasingly illogical for the past few weeks. He had not given the Asset a single command in nine days, twenty-one hours, seventeen minutes and four seconds. According to protocol, Lord Slytherin was no longer its Primary Handler. 

The Asset wondered if Lord Slytherin was aware of this.

_:Master does not care for Nagini anymore,:_ came the distressed, quiet hiss from _Designation: Nagini_. _:Master has forgotten Nagini.:_

“Lord Slytherin has forgotten it as well,” the Asset told the serpent. “It has been nine days, twenty-one hours, eighteen minutes and three seconds since Lord Slytherin issued it an order.”

_Designation: Nagini_ lifted its head and flicked its tongue shrewdly. _:The Soldier is no longer Master’s shield?:_ The serpent had listened when the Asset had informed it of its protocols. Unlike, it seemed, Lord Slytherin. _Designation: Nagini_ was quiet for a moment. _:…is Nagini no longer Master’s sword?:_

The Asset considered it. _Designation: Nagini_ did not follow the same protocols as the Asset, and was not enhanced like the Asset, but it was still an asset with a handler who had not given it an order in almost ten days. 

“It does not believe so,” the Asset decided.

The snake hissed wordlessly, a sound of frustration and distress. _:Master is stupid to discard his weapons.:_

Beneath its mask, the Asset’s lip twitched. “Affirmative.”

\----

The Asset was present the next time Lord Slytherin remembered he possessed a familiar. _Designation: Nagini_ was wrapped around the Asset’s shoulders—a position it rarely left nowadays—and watched Lord Slytherin through blank yellow eyes.

_:Nagini,:_ Lord Slytherin hissed, as if in afterthought. _:I have a mission for you.:_

The Asset could feel _Designation: Nagini_ ’s muscles tighten and loosen in quick succession and recognized it as a sign of stress. The Asset’s own shoulders tensed in response, its conditioned reaction to _Designation: Nagini_ spotting danger or a threat. Lord Slytherin noticed neither, fixated on some parchment spread out across his desk. 

_:…What does Master ask of Nagini?:_ the serpent asked instead of instantly complying and moving towards Lord Slytherin. That the serpent did not move from its spot on the Asset’s shoulders was telling.

Lord Slytherin did not seem to realize the significance of this. _:I need you to scout Hogsmeade and listen for evidence of the Order. They have a base there where Dumbledore meets frequently.:_

The Asset did not outwardly react, but inwardly it was sifting and discarding various scenarios in which _Designation: Nagini_ would fail the mission assigned to it. They were numerous. _Designation: Nagini_ was an exemplary asset, but it was still merely a large serpent. It was not designed for missions such as this. It would have been more logical to send the Asset in its place.

Lord Slytherin was no longer the Asset’s Primary Handler. It was not required to point out the flaws in Lord Slytherin’s plans or offer more successful alternatives. 

The chances that _Designation: Nagini_ would fail the mission and be terminated were 89.34%. Unacceptable. The Asset recalibrated, the plates on the Arm whirring. 

_Reassigned: secondary asset Nagini._

_Directive: Preservation of Asset. Primary Mission, Redacted: Defense of Handler. Handler: Inoperative. Secondary Mission, Redacted: Defense of Handler’s assets. Reassigned: secondary asset Nagini. Secondary Mission: Defense of secondary asset Nagini. Reclassified: secondary asset Nagini—Nagini._

The Asset showed no signs of its rewired protocols. Lord Slytherin continued assigning his mission to Nagini, missing how the serpent had tightened its coils such that a lesser asset would have broken bones.

The Asset was not concerned. It was strong enough to withstand the crushing ability of Nagini.

_:…yes, Master,:_ Nagini hissed after a moment of silence. 

Lord Slytherin waved in acknowledgement before turning back to the papers on his desk. The Asset felt Nagini twitch and shift its head towards the door, and it obeyed the unspoken order easily. Lord Slytherin did not look up as they left.

The Asset took them to the library and removed a book from the shelf. Nagini laid its head on top of the Asset’s and breathed quietly. 

_:The Soldier will come with Nagini?:_ Nagini asked quietly, sounding small again.

“Secondary Mission: Defense of Nagini,” the Asset replied. The snake quivered, recognizing the change in wording for what it was. 

_:What is the Soldier’s Primary Mission?:_

“Error. Primary Mission, Redacted. Handler: Inoperative.”

Nagini was silent for a moment. The Asset began to read aloud. It learned a great deal about wards in the minutes that followed.

_:Acknowledged,:_ Nagini replied.

The Asset’s lip twitched again.

\----

Hogsmeade was full of civilians. For a lesser, incompetent asset, remaining unseen might have been challenging. The Asset was not incompetent. It remained in a tree outside of town, hidden by leaves and watching the civilians through the scope of the Dragunov Lord Slytherin had procured for it when he was still in possession of the Asset. 

_:Does the Soldier see anything?:_

“Negative,” the Asset whispered, lips barely moving and inaudible to human ears even had one been standing directly beside it.

Nagini hissed in quiet distaste. It did not care for this mission, that much was apparent to the Asset. The Asset could understand why. Nagini was not programmed or built for this sort of reconnaissance. Lord Slytherin was not utilizing Nagini properly, and this frustrated the serpent and made the Asset less impressed with him overall.

_:Nagini does not understand,:_ the snake admitted in quiet distress.

“Neither does it,” the Asset replied, carefully leaning up and dismantling the Dragunov. They had been observing the town for twenty-six hours. There was no sign of the ‘Order’ Lord Slytherin requested they find, and there had been no sightings of _Target: Dumbledore_.

The Asset moved amongst the branches as it headed towards the extraction point. There was a portkey waiting for Nagini in a hollow trunk six miles west. The Asset would not be able to use or activate it, but it could cover more ground without having to keep Nagini balanced on its shoulders. Nagini understood and acknowledged the temporary separation, and activated the portkey with a hissed word in parseltongue—its primary language. 

The Asset turned and headed north. It would take it three days, sixteen hours and thirty-two minutes to reach Lord Slytherin’s manor at its top speed if it did not stop for rest. 

The Asset had run farther for longer before. It was not concerned.

\----

Three days, sixteen hours, thirty-two minutes and eight seconds later, the Asset arrived at the main gates. The Null-Ward glowed a dull brown as it passed through them. The Asset moved swiftly towards its quarters. It would require time to recharge, and Nagini would have already briefed Lord Slytherin on the situation in Hogsmeade.

The Asset stopped in the doorway to its chamber. Nagini was on its bed. Nagini had never come to the Asset’s chamber before. The Asset stepped into the room and closed the door. Nagini was twitching faintly on the bed, yellow eyes peering at it as a flinch traveled its length.

The Asset crossed the room swiftly, gathering up Nagini and feeling an odd sensation when the serpent did not curl around its shoulders or arm. 

“Status: Nagini,” the Asset demanded, the odd sensation increasing as it felt the tremors wracking the serpent’s coils. 

_:In-inoperative,:_ Nagini hissed back. Its voice was choppy and almost incomprehensible. _:N-nagini suffers Cr-cruciatus.:_

The Asset stilled. All protocols slowed to a glacial crawl as the odd sensation sparked like a livewire into something far more familiar. The Asset, observing its own reactions with clinical interest, recognized this new sensation as _anger_. 

The Asset had failed its Secondary Mission. Nagini had been damaged in its absence. Protocols snapped into place as restrictions and locks flaked away in the wake of failing a mission. The Asset stood, holding Nagini close to its chest, and moved to the fireplace. It settled on the ground as near to the fire as it could get without being burned, and rearranged Nagini into a more comfortable position. 

“Mission report,” the Asset requested, running the fingers of its flesh hand over Nagini’s scales in the manner it had observed Lord Slytherin doing before he had forgotten the existence of his assets. The movement had had a calming effect on Nagini which it hoped to replicate. It was successful.

Nagini’s tremors did not still, but its muscles relaxed slightly. _:Nagini reported to M-master. Nagini told M-master that there were n-no Orders in the village. M-master did not believe Nagini. Master ac-accused Nagini of betraying M-master.:_ Nagini suffered a full body convulsion for a moment, which the Asset held it through. It did not pause in stroking Nagini’s scales. _:M-master p… punished Nagini. Master hit Nagini with p-pain curse.:_ Nagini turned its head up to the Asset and flicked its tongue at it several times. _:Nagini does not understand.:_

The Asset kept stroking Nagini’s scales mechanically. Behind its mask and goggles, the Asset was aware that its face was doing something unusual. Its mouth was turned down at the edges, and its brow was furrowed. It was unsure what this reaction meant, as it had been entirely involuntary. For a moment, the Asset worried that its programming was breaking down, but a quick maintenance routine proved that all functions were operating at peak efficiency. The Asset set the thought aside.

Nagini was operating at 32% efficiency. Nagini required medical aid to counteract the nerve damage causing the tremors and convulsions. The Asset was not educated in applying magical medical aid. It had read that there were potions to counteract the aftereffects of the Cruciatus. Lesser asset Severus was a Potions Master. The Asset knew the location of the home of lesser asset Severus. Lesser asset Severus was stationed two days, thirteen hours and fifteen minutes away at handicapped running speed. Acceptable.

The Asset stood, manually wrapping Nagini around its shoulders and arm as was customary. The snake did not possess the ability to hold itself steady, so the Asset tucked parts of its coils under its chest piece and shirt to keep it secure.

_:W-what is the Soldier doing with Nagini?:_

“It is taking Nagini to lesser asset Severus. It will requisition aid to counteract nerve damage.”

Nagini tucked its snout into its neck, its tongue flicking out several times. The Asset had found this to be the serpent equivalent of rapid blinking. _:Nagini thanks the Soldier.:_

The Asset has heard this saying before. No one thanks the Asset. The Asset obeys orders. The Asset obeys protocols. It is not _thanked_. But Nagini thanked the Asset. Nagini is its Secondary Mission. Nagini is an exemplary asset, and is not a handicap when at full functionality. The Asset recalibrates.

“It is welcome,” the Asset replies after a moment. Nagini buries its head under the Asset’s chest piece. The Asset approves of the defensible position and better grip.

Within minutes the Asset is leaving the manor. The weight of the bag is negligible. The Asset is adequately armed. Nagini is securely fastened to its body. No one notices them leave. The Asset is a professional.

It begins to run.

\----

The Asset enters the residence of lesser asset Severus. The Arm glows violet. The lock on the door is negligible; the Asset has broken into places far better guarded before. The presence of Nagini does not set off any alarms.

The Asset ghosts through the building, hearing the sounds of breathing from upstairs and ten feet to the right. It does not make a sound as it enters the room where lesser asset Severus is sleeping. Lesser asset Severus does not detect it as it approaches the bed.

The Asset feels Nagini tremble against its chest and shoulders. The Asset unholsters a gun and presses it to the forehead of lesser asset Severus. Lesser asset Severus wakes with a jerk and falls into immediate stillness at the sight of the Asset. Lesser asset Severus begins to perspire heavily, eyes flicking between the Asset and the gun.

“Lesser asset Severus,” the Asset growls, agitated by the feeling of Nagini continuing to shiver against its skin. “Requisition request: post-Cruciatus countermeasures.” It presses the gun tighter to lesser asset Severus’ head. “Compliance is required.”

“I understand,” lesser asset Severus replies, eyes wide. The Asset studies him for a moment before pulling the gun back. It does not put it away. Lesser asset Severus carefully gets out of bed, watching the Asset warily. He eyes the Arm for a moment. “You’ve been hit by the Cruciatus?”

“Negative,” the Asset replies. “Dosage: Nagini.”

Lesser asset Severus pauses in the act of pulling on his robe, turning to stare at the Asset. “The Dark Lord’s familiar was hit by the Cruciatus?” He sounds disbelieving. The Asset does not move. Nagini pulls its head free and lifts it carefully until it rests on top of the Asset’s. The tremble is more obvious. Lesser asset Severus watches the snake for a moment, eyes blank, before nodding. “Come,” he instructs, heading for the stairs.

Lesser asset Severus is not its handler. It is not required to obey lesser asset Severus’s orders. Lesser asset Severus will provide aid for Nagini. The Asset follows.

Lesser asset Severus prepares a potion in a cauldron. The Asset recognizes the ingredients from its reading in the library. The procedure itself is incomprehensible to the Asset. Nagini continues to tremble. 

_:The Soldier found help for Nagini?:_ Nagini hisses from its place in the Asset’s hair. Lesser asset Severus pauses at the noise, tensing minutely. 

“Affirmative,” the Asset replies. Lesser asset Severus turns to stare at them, his hands preparing the potion without pause. 

Nagini flicks its tongue several times. _:The Soldier heals Nagini?:_

The Asset nods carefully, wary of disturbing the serpent. Nagini’s functionality has lowered by an additional 10% on the run over, even if its speech has evened out. 

Lesser asset Severus turns back to the cauldron, but his shoulders remain tense. The Asset is aware that lesser asset Severus has most of his attention focused on them. The Asset does not mind, so long as the potion is prepared correctly. 

_:The Soldier… cares for Nagini?:_ is hissed quietly. 

The Asset pauses. Recalibrates. Nagini is the Secondary Mission. The Asset failed the Secondary Mission. Nagini was damaged in its absence. The Asset experienced anger upon discovering Nagini had been damaged. The Asset tracked down aid to improve Nagini’s functionality outside of protocol. 

The Asset acted outside of protocol. 

_The Asset acted outside of protocol._

Error.

The Asset pauses. Recalibrates. The plates in the Arm shift and whir softly. 

“It does,” the Asset acknowledges aloud, almost to itself. There are no protocols for this. The Asset is working outside of protocol. The Asset cares for Nagini. The Asset has never cared for anything before.

_“—on Stevie, breathe for me. That’s it—”_

The Asset watches as lesser asset Severus ladles a small amount of potion into a vial as it rewrites its protocols to include the new sensation of _caring_. It is surprisingly simple to do so. It shifts _Secondary Mission: Defense of Nagini_ into _Secondary Directive: Preservation of Nagini_. It feels its programming click on and clamp down on the new Directive where it cannot be overwritten by outside sources. 

Acceptable.

“Here,” lesser asset Severus says into the silence, offering the vial to the Asset. “Give her this; it should clear up the shivering and fix any nerves that were damaged by the curse.”

The Asset accepts the vial and carefully unwraps Nagini from its shoulders. Nagini settles in its arms and opens its mouth to accept the potion. The Asset holds Nagini while the trembling slowly subsides. Functionality rises back to 100% within ten minutes. Acceptable.

Nagini coils around the Asset’s flesh arm and returns to its shoulders, where it tightens briefly. Nagini tucks its head back into the Asset’s neck, shivering minutely, but the Asset can tell the difference. Nagini is not damaged physically. Nagini possesses emotions the Asset does not. The Asset decides Nagini is still distressed, so strokes its scales in the proven manner.

Nagini calms.

Acceptable.

The Asset turns to lesser asset Severus. “Satisfactory,” it tells him. Lesser asset Severus snorts briefly before nodding.

“Great. Excellent. Now get out of my house.”

Lesser asset Severus is not its handler. It is not required to obey his orders. Lesser asset Severus returned Nagini to full functionality. The Asset decides not to terminate lesser asset Severus for attempting to command it.

The Asset leaves and pauses outside the residence.

_:Nagini does not want to return to Master,:_ Nagini says into the silence. _:Nagini wants to stay with the Soldier. The Soldier does not hurt Nagini. The Soldier helps Nagini. The Soldier cares for Nagini. Nagini likes that the Soldier cares for it.:_

The Asset considers. Lord Slytherin armed the Asset and provided rations. The Asset is protected from magical attacks and is adequately fortified. Lord Slytherin had been acting increasingly illogical. Lord Slytherin punished his secondary asset without cause. Lord Slytherin had not given the Asset an order in eighteen days, five hours, seventeen minutes and twenty seconds. 

Following Lord Slytherin is no longer the logical choice.

It can procure its own rations. Providing for Nagini will not be difficult. It is knowledgeable about the Wizarding World due to its reading in Lord Slytherin’s library. The chances of Hydra relocating it are 0.24%.

“Acknowledged,” the Asset replies.

Nagini will need protection. The Asset will need to return to the Rune Master and have Nagini fitted with a Null-Ward. Perhaps the Rune Master will know of other wards suitable for Nagini which will complement its skill set.

Nagini tightens its coils around the Asset. _:Nagini thanks the Soldier.:_

The Asset’s lip twitches beneath its mask. This time, the Asset recognizes the sensation as a ‘smile.’ 

“Nagini is welcome.”

\----

The civilians in Knockturn remember the Asset. Three of them recognize Nagini. None attempt to stop them.

The Asset enters _Location: Ancient Artifacts_. The old civilian is behind the counter again. He, too, remembers the Asset.

“Back already, boy?” the old civilian grins. He still has a handler’s smile. 

“It has a query,” the Asset tells the civilian, allowing its accent to thicken again. Nagini shifts and pulls its head out of his chest piece to stare at the civilian. The civilian does not visibly react. 

“Shoot,” the civilian tells the Asset. 

The Asset pauses. The civilian is not its handler. The civilian does not have the authority to command the Asset to fire its weapons. The civilian did not specify a target. There is nothing in the building to fire upon except the civilian. Error. The civilian is a necessary asset. Terminating it goes against protocol.

_:It is a human saying,:_ Nagini whispers from its place atop the Asset’s head. _:It means to ask a question.:_

Acknowledged.

“It wants to ask how it may protect a serpent.” It carefully does not mention Nagini by name. The civilian looks at the large snake wrapped around it with its head on the Asset’s. The civilian’s face twitches into a handler’s smile. 

“You mean besides another Null-Ward, boy?” the civilian chortles. The Asset nods. “An Impervious ward, maybe… make its scales like iron. Can’t make them unbreakable since it’ll have to shed and grow, but toughening them shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll have to anchor them to separate pieces…” the civilian shuffles further into the shop. The Asset follows silently. “…might have some mithril bands lying around I could use. Never made jewelry for a snake before!”

The Asset watches as the civilian bustles around the back room. He returns with two silver-metal bands about a finger thick each. When the civilian motions towards Nagini, the Asset unwraps it and lets it wind around its arm instead. The civilian waves its wand a few times and the bands resize themselves to match Nagini’s size. Another wave and they appeared locked behind Nagini’s head three inches apart. 

“They’ll expand as it grows, and won’t choke it when it eats,” the civilian informed the Asset. Acceptable. “Luckily I won’t need the big guns to inscribe into mithril, unlike that bloody arm of yours…”

The Asset is 72% certain that the civilian is not referring to an actual gun. It shifts its defense protocols up three levels, just in case.

The procedure takes five hours. Nagini remains still throughout, but requires periodic reassurances from the Asset that everything is as it should be. The first metal band is the Null-Ward. It reacts exactly like the Asset’s when the civilian tests it with a blue light that the Asset recognizes from its reading as a tickling charm. The second band’s runes are black instead of the yellow of the first, and do not turn invisible. The civilian hands the Asset a small carving knife, aware enough to realize the Asset would not permit him near Nagini with it.

The Asset presses the blade to Nagini’s scales. The blade bends before its skin does. 

“Tough as the metal the runes are inscribed on,” the civilian informs them when the Asset turns to him. “If I knew what it was made of I’d have used that metal from your arm instead. Mithril’s the best I’ve got, otherwise.”

The Asset nods. Acceptable. Nagini relocates to its shoulders, hissing in its ear about how pleased it is with the new protection and how the silver matches the Arm. The Asset hands the civilian a pouch of coins it had liberated from the lesser assets who had attempted to harm it while it was Lord Slytherin’s Asset. 

The civilian waves its wand and numbers appear. The civilian grins and pockets the pouch.

“The Impervious ward’ll break if the band’s taken off,” the civilian warns, still grinning. “Anything that can cut through mithril will still hurt it, so watch out for that.”

“Acknowledged,” the Asset replies. It mentally files the warning away. The information may prove useful.

“Come back anytime, boy,” the civilian chortles as the Asset leaves. “Your gold’s always welcome here.”

The Asset is pleased that the Rune Master’s usefulness continues. The decision to keep him as an asset was a good one.

_:Nagini is safe,:_ Nagini hissed from its shoulders. The snake tightened around it for a moment as it flicked its tongue at it. _:The Soldier made Nagini safe.:_

The Asset nods. Nagini is now protected. The Asset feels some tension lift from its back. It will be much easier to fulfill _Secondary Directive: Preservation of Nagini_ now that it is immune to most magic and most physical damage. 

_:Nagini has never been safe before,:_ it admitted to the Asset. There was silence for a moment as the Asset continued heading out of the Alley. _:Master protected Nagini, but never made Nagini safe.:_ Nagini bared its fangs at a man who got too close. The man recoiled. _:The Soldier made Nagini safe. Nagini will make the Soldier safe. Nagini will protect the Soldier.:_

The Asset felt an odd sensation at Nagini’s command. It did not recognize the feeling. The Asset paused. Recalibrated. It filed the emotion away for later study. 

Nagini wound around it until its face was in front of the Asset’s. Nagini held its gaze through the protective eyewear. _:Nagini’s Primary Directive: Protect the Soldier.:_

The Asset stopped in the middle of the street. Nagini had assigned itself a Primary Directive? It had made its Primary Directive the protection of the Asset? The odd sensation returned, six times as powerful as before. Functionality of the Asset dropped by 4%. Recalibrated. Functionality did not improve. 

The Asset’s Primary Directive was the Preservation of the Asset. Nagini’s Primary Directive was also the Preservation of the Asset. Nagini placed the Asset above its own preservation. Error. Data Corrupt. The Asset sifted through protocols to find the one that was impeding functionality. All protocols were fully functional. The odd feeling persisted. Functionality down by 4%. 

Conclusion: the odd feeling was impeding functionality. 

Conclusion: the odd feeling was connected to Nagini.

The Asset had experienced emotion on behalf of Nagini previously. It theorized that it was doing so again. The Asset examined the feeling, memorized it, set it aside, and moved on. Functionality returned.

The Asset continued walking. Nagini settled its head on top of the Asset’s. The Asset could still feel the emotion it did not recognize. It began constructing protocols to deal with further emotional responses. It was reasonably certain it would experience others.

“Acknowledged,” the Asset informed Nagini quietly. Nagini tightened its hold on the Asset’s shoulders.

Under its mask, the Asset smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I love Nagini, and I'm not even sorry about where my mind took this.


End file.
